'The Flash': What's Next For The West/Allen Romance After This Week's Heartbreaker Of An Episode?

This post contains spoilers for The Flash Season 3.

The fanbase for a romance between #IrisWest and #BarryAllen is strong and determined, which means they're not happy with what transpired on the March 14th episode of #TheFlash. When it comes to their couple, they don't want there to be any wrinkles, and the writers just delivered a major one when Barry told Iris he needed space.

With tears streaming down her cheeks and her engagement ring on the dining room table, Iris' heart broke right along with millions of fans. After all, the West/Allen romance is canon in the #DC world.

So is this the end of West/Allen, even though Barry and Iris are clearly in love? #GrantGustin (Barry Allen) doesn't seem to think so. When he talked to TVline about his character's relationship with Iris, he said they would try to figure things out:

“There’s a lot going on right now that is literally life-or-death, and I think that is clouding everything and getting in the way of their relationship. All of the relationships are kind of in a weird place right now, just because everyone is scared. I think [Barry and Iris] just need to find some clarity. They need to trust their love, and be brave enough to believe in the relationship."

Gustin makes a good point when he says that everything going on is clouding Barry's relationship with Iris. It's difficult to have a romance when you have the threat of death hanging over your head. And we all know that Barry proposed to Iris out of fear, so that's still crippling him right now. It stands to reason he might need some space to think a little more clearly.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Gustin admits that Barry's emotions have been overwhelming. So we don't know if the break-up came from a place of emotion or logic. Either way, it will do some damage to his relationship with Iris...at least for a while:

"Barry’s emotions can kind of get the best of him and he can make choices that seem clear and helpful in the moment that end up having ramifications that he didn’t necessarily expect."

And, in the same EW interview, executive producer Andrew Kreisberg says that Barry is losing it a bit, so it's entirely possible Barry doesn't really know what he's doing right now. He may just be throwing darts at the board and seeing which ones stick:

"Barry’s so desperate to save Iris that he is starting to lose it a little bit.

The ultimate question is, will Barry and Iris get their happily ever after? While it's true they have a lot to sort through if they're going to make it to their happy ending, happily ever afters are usually reserved for the ending of a series because angst makes for better television.